James Moyer

I am teaching in 2011-2012 as an Instructor in Science Laboratory. This is the latest stage of my new career as an educator. I am a life-long scientist who became interested in cancer biology and anti-tumor agents as a PhD student at Yale. After graduating, I worked in cancer research at the National Cancer Institute and then at Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, studying how anti-tumor agents work and trying to discover new ones. The drug erlotinib (Tarceva™), used to treat lung cancer, was discovered by my team at Pfizer and is now used worldwide. I also worked on the use of therapeutic antibodies.

At Wellesley, I am focused on sharing my knowledge and enthusiasm with the students while equipping them to pursue their goals. This is a time of incredible advances in our knowledge of chemistry and biology. Powerful new techniques are being brought to bear on medical and environmental problems. Personalized medicine based on detailed genomic and proteomic data, improved imaging, and novel designed drugs is here, but still in its infancy. Chemistry and biochemistry also hold great promise to yield more efficient food production and new energy sources that will be sustainable and less environmentally damaging. I hope to contribute to the basic education in Chemistry and Biochemistry that positions Wellesley students to lead in applying that new technology.

Among my other interests, I am a student of history, especially the Civil War. The picture on this page shows me at the site of one of the Iron Brigade Markers on the Gettysburg Battlefield. I have toured most of the important Battlefields of the Civil War. I also have an interest in woodworking and have made much of our furniture.